The Çarşamba Market and the Fatih Camii

The Çarşamba Market and the Fatih Camii

Michael Powell

8889

0

10

May 14, 2013

Çarşamba is a neighborhood in Istanbul, and also the Turkish word for “Wednesday”. Now, what do you suspect might be the best day to visit Çarşamba? You get one guess!

Held since Byzantine times, the Wednesday Market (Çarşamba Pazarı) was already woven so immutably into the neighborhood’s fabric, that the conquering Turks just named the entire area after it. Today, Çarşamba is a highly devout section of Istanbul. The market occupies the narrow streets surrounding the Fatih Mosque, and brings the locals out in droves, the great majority of them covered women going about their weekly shopping.

The market concentrates on cheap clothing, household wares and food; nothing of touristic interest, besides the sheer spectacle of so many people. Jostling through the jam-packed streets, and getting mercilessly shoulder-checked by the no-nonsense, and surprisingly solid, local ladies, Jürgen and I were equally exhilarated and exhausted by the market. It was with a sigh of relief that we finally emerged into the courtyard of the Fatih Mosque.

This massive complex is one of the great mosques of Istanbul, built on the destroyed remains of the Church of the Holy Apostles. It was raised 30 years after the conquest of Istanbul on the orders of Mehmet the Conqueror, who was less than satisfied with the result. Angry that the mosque’s dome was smaller than that of the Hagia Sophia, he had the architect put to death. You don’t want to disappoint the Conqueror!

We think Mehmet over-reacted. His mosque is a marvel, with gorgeous interior calligraphy and design, and a pleasant courtyard. We sat down inside to listen to a little preaching, and take in the atmosphere. The mosque was surprisingly crowded. A few kids were laughing and chasing each other around the carpeted room, while their fathers looked on in annoyance. There was a lighter, more frivolous atmosphere in this mosque than others we’ve visited, probably thanks to the shopping-festival just outside.

Walking around the grounds of the mosque, we found the mausoleum of Mehmet the Conqueror himself, his turban atop an absurdly large coffin. Many people were seated inside, reading from the Koran, and praying for the former Sultan. We were tempted to sit down, ourselves, if just for the excuse to spend some extra time in this beautifully-tiled mausoleum.

The Çarşamba Market and the Fatih CamiiÇarşamba is a neighborhood in Istanbul, and also the Turkish word for "Wednesday". Now, what do you suspect might be the best day to visit Çarşamba? You get one guess!

This is a wonderful series–thank you guys for sharing your adventures with us. I was in Istanbul last summer, and your posts have brought the place back to life in my mind. I have small correction: we can’t really be sure if Mehmet overreacted, because the original Fatih Mosque and tomb were completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1766 (perhaps the architect didn’t do a great job after all). In its place, a mosque with a different design was built by Sultan Mustafa III in 1771. This is the marvel you visited, and your excellent pictures make me feel as I visited it too.

Hi, Thank you for a very interesting post. I’ve recently visited Istanbul and this area and wanted to find out more about Carsamba as there is not much on the web and finally found something on your blog ! Didn’t know there was a wednesday market ! would love to attend this the next time we visit.Also, wanted to just clarify something. The people that you see praying “to” the grave are not actually praying to that person but rather praying “for” them. Its an islamic custom to pray for the person in the grave whenever you visit anyone’s grave. and you’re right no exceptions here either : ) thanks, amna

I recently visited Istanbul and stayed at a beautiful Turkish house that has been restored in Balat/Fener area. My host advised to visit Carsamba market and we indeed took his advise. We found the market is amazing with the array of fresh fruits, clothing and other house hold items. We not sure what time it started but the market closed around 8 pm. What surprising us was the prices at the Carsamba market it was away…. Away …. Cheaper than the stuffs sell at the Grand Bazar or The spice Bazar. Obviously this place were for the locals to shop however it is only happening every Wednesday. We really enjoyed walking around the street and tasted the best fresh fruits and veggies. We also found the beautiful mosque as you described on your pictures. The people in Turkey are very friendly. The public Transportation is superb. After one bad experience with taxi we decided to go by bus and metro it was much better to go around turkey but remember you need to have the Istanbulkart to hop from metros to buses or to fery ride. From the Eminonu, which is the main terminal for ferry and buses you can go to Carsamba taking bus no 90 or 90B and stop at Carsamba.We wish to visit Turkey again sometimes in the future and sure will not miss the Carsamba market. Thank you for letting us to share our experience with you.

Follow Us

About Us

We're Jürgen and Mike, from Germany and the USA. Born wanderers, we love learning about new cultures and have decided to see the world... slowly. Always being tourists might get lame, but eternal newcomers? We can live with that. So, our plan is to move to an interesting new city, once every three months. About 91 days. Read More

Subscribe

Enter your email address to be subscribed to a newsletter of our latest posts.

Puzzle App

Check out our 15 Sliding Puzzle game! With hundreds of puzzles featuring our photography from around the world, you'll never run out of new destinations to discover! The app is totally free and contains no ads.